A joke. An absolute joke. There is no other way to describe the flawed decision-making process surrounding the Olympic road-cycling race without getting sued. The off-again, on-again saga surrounding the location of one of Sydney 2000's showpiece events brings only shame on those involved. Shame on Olympics Minister Michael Knight and his penny-pinching board at SOCOG. Shame on cycling competition manager Ray Godkin, who should know better. And shame on those who have tried to misrepresent it as some sort of east-west divide - a class war between Sydney's haves and have-nots.
The truth is the organisation that really counts, the world body Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), was never going to approve a switch from the eastern suburbs to Bankstown. Never. Demographics have nothing to do with it. A good course (possibly even a great one) versus a bad one, is what it's all about. The fact is the UCI's ultimate obligation is to its athletes. That powerful television interests were also in the same corner only strengthened the case. We didn't need Brett Dutton, one of Australia's most respected road cyclists, to roll around Henry Lawson Drive and tell us the alternative course - designed by Godkin - was a shocker. "Dutto" was only telling us what we already knew.
Godkin, who sits on the management of the UCI board, might have hoped he could somehow convince his mates in Lausanne to support him in this harebrained scheme. Wishful thinking. UCI officials had been due to arrive today for an inspection, but in truth his mind was already made up. Having been involved in several meetings with UCI road manager Alain Rumpf during the past 12 months, I can vouch for his enthusiasm for the eastern suburbs route. Godkin knew this, and knew it was a long shot to get UCI approval. Which then begs the question: why try it on In the first place? The answer to that is equally simple: SOCOG wanted to try to trim a couple of million bucks off its costs by switching to Bankstown, where the new velodrome is nearing completion and certain facilities (notably for the media) could be shared.
If it had been about finding a genuine alternative - one which might have been acceptable to the UCI - then the Royal National Park (included in the original bid document) should have been promoted. It wasn't even mentioned. Godkin found himself caught in a compromising position - while he answers to SOCOG, he is also president of Cycling Australia and, of course, a board member of the UCI. Not for the first time, he backed the wrong horse. With the exceptions of the beach volleyball, sailing, the triathlon and the marathon, no other event will showcase Sydney in a more flattering light than the road race. Centennial Park, Queens Park, the dip in and out of Bronte Beach - the cameras will lap it up. But so, too, will the cyclists. It is not tough, in a European sense. But it is tough enough to make a contest of the race - giving the sprinters and the climbers equal incentive. Because of that, most of the world's best will come. Ask them to ride around Bankstown instead, and you'd be lucky to get one of the top 20. Thankfully, sanity has prevailed.
Sydney will get a race of genuine Olympic standing. The $2million will have to be saved somewhere else. How about in SOCOG hospitality, for starters?
Six persons in total were detained and still in police custody late on Thursday afternoon. There was another rider who police would not name. The 6th person was a press worker Brigitte Bollé, who works with Team Polti and is responsible for the interests of Richard Virenque.
A 7th person, a rider also not named, was heard by the police but not detained. The people take into custody were guaranteed their rights and were interrogated about their relationship with Bernard Sainz, who is considered along with the lawyer Bernard Lavelot, to be pivotal in the trafficking of drugs among sportspersons.
The same police source said that the cyclists would undergo urine, blood and hair tests. 4 other cyclists were to be taken into custody on Friday.
Jacky Durand, who rides for the Belgian team Lotto-Mobistar, won the French road championship in 1993 and 1994 and also Paris-Tours in 1998. He was defended by Lavelot in 1996 after returning a positive drugs test.
Max Sciandri (La Française des Jeux) and 34-year old Franck Morelle have also used Lavelot as their lawyer in various dealings.
Erwan Menthéour, who retired in 1997 and then wrote the revealing book "Secret défonce", which included sections on "Doctor Mabuse", the nickname of Bernard Sainz. He also admitted his own participation in using banned substances.
Bernard Sainz and Bertrand Lavelot, have been in custody since May 9. Yvon Ledanois (Française des Jeux), Philippe Gaumont (Cofidis) and former professional Pascal Peyramaure have been charged but released on bail.
14 people overall have been taken into custody and subsequently freed. They include Richard Virenque and Frank Vandenbroucke.
1. Guillaume Judas (Fra) Jean-Floc'h-Mantes 3.56.19 2. Eric Drubay (Fra) CC Etupes 3. Christian Blanchard (Fra) Vendée-U 4. Cédric Jourdan (Fra) CM Aubervilliers-93 0.16 5. Yoann Le Boulanger (Fra) Poitou-Charentes 0.18 6. Michel Lallouët (Fra) VC Rouen-76 0.18 7. Carlo Meneghetti (Fra) VC Roubaix 0.18 8. Christophe Faudot (Fra) Vendée-U 0.18 9. Philippe Koehler (Fra) CC Etupes 0.18 10. Franck Faugeroux (Fra) UC Châteauroux 0.18 11. Pascal Pofilet (Fra) CC Etupes 0.18 12. Lionel Lorgeou (Fra) CM Aubervilliers-93 0.18 13. Noan Lelarge (Fra) CC Nogent-sur-Oise 0.18 14. Stéphan Ravaleu (Fra) Jean-Floc'h-Mantes 0.33 15. Franck Rénier (Fra) Vendée-U 0.41 16. Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Vendée-U 1.13 17. Gilles Zech (Fra) 23-La Creuse 1.17 18. Eric Beauné (Fra) CC Nogent-sur-Oise 1.19 19. Sylvain Lajoie (Fra) VC Roubaix 1.19 20. Raphaël Jeune (Fra) CC Etupes 1.19 Teams Overall after 3 Stages 1. CC Etupes 124 2. Vendée-U 94 3. Jean-Floc'h-Mantes 80 4. VC Roubaix 72 5. VC Rouen-76 69 6. CM Aubervilliers-93 65 7. 23-La Creuse 36 8. CC Nogent-sur-Oise 33 9. US Montauban-82 31 10. UC Châteauroux 22Thanks to Nicolas Tavares, France